"Raise the Red Lantern" (1991)

Director Zhang Yimou makes it easy for the audience to be captivated with the life of a nineteen years old girl who is forced into a world full of schemes, deceit, hatred, and constant battles for attention as she becomes the third concubine of a rich landowner.


The beauty of “Raise the Red Lantern" is that it uses a simple storyline to convey flawlessly the ugliness of human nature and its horrifying and damaging results. It is a film that not only focuses on the atrocious oppression and objectification of women, but also concentrates greatly on the helplessness and vulnerability of those trapped within such a system. “Raise the Red Lantern” does well to describe to the society of China in the 1920s, a society full of traditions, hierarchies, and the need for self preservation.

Song Lian may have had half a year of college education, but that does little to rid her of the dependence on men through family and marriage and to help escape her fate as a woman of the times. Her education may have set her apart from the three other mistresses of Master Chen, but it is simply a feature that poses as a temporary advantage to further entice her master before he grows tired of her company.

Although there may be a social difference between an educated woman and an actress (as in the case with the Third Mistress), as women, there is no difference; the two are both subjected to the same fate. Whatever they do and whatever is done to them is for the sole purpose of serving and pleasing men. A woman is “a piece of clothing” for the man to control when he wants to wear, toss, and destroy that insignificant item.

Yet, women still actively participate in the perpetual struggle for attention, power, and status in order to secure a desirable position in this vicious human food chain to preserve the individual. Song Lian’s independent will and pride of an educated female is broken down as she sheds tears for her surrender to such a life, and eventually she feels the need to lie about her pregnancy as she tries to be calculating like the other mistresses. The exposure of her lie is her failure to fight effectively. It not only leads her to a life of isolation, but also to the destruction of her spirit.

She comes to the conclusion that the endless competition is meaningless; life is meaningless. Everything is simply an act; everything is a lie.

Yet, that is the life you must lead. That is the life that you are forced to lead.

The world of Master Chen and his four mistresses is no different than the dog-eat-dog world that exists outside the walls of their home. There is no security. There is no truth. Those who rebel or fail to obey the valued customs and rules of tradition are ultimately destroyed.

What is human in such a society? It is one step away from being a ghost, and perhaps there is not even a difference.

The last scene of “Raise the Red Lantern” is particularly haunting. Song Lian is at last driven to insanity after she witnesses the murder of the Third Mistress (the punishment for the Third Mistress’ adulterous acts), and she wanders aimlessly inside an enclosed, rectangular area of Master Chen’s household surrounded by brightly lit red lanterns.

She is forever trapped in this place of red lanterns, a place where one man controls all the lives of those inside his walls.

She is forever subjected to lead a life in which she has no control over.

She is to live a life that cannot be claimed as her own.

What is human?

What is life?

"To Live" (1994)

“To Live,” a film directed by Yimou Zhang, follows the life of a man and his family as they are forced to adapt constantly in order to survive the drastic transformations that China undergoes during a short period of thirty years. The powerful presentation style along with the sorrowful plot filled with countless sufferings and obstacles effectively captivate the audience through the truthful depiction of people’s living conditions at the time. Such a film deserves recognition because it successfully illustrates the adversity and injustice throughout history and exemplifies universal themes that trigger the deeply rooted emotions residing within the human heart.

Fugui began as a stubborn, spoiled, and privileged man, and solely from his own doing, he loses everything that had given his family the high status that he used to frequently exploit. Yet, it is because of this seemingly terrible loss in becoming ordinary citizens that allows him and his family to follow the strong and unpredictable currents produced by the rise of the revolution and that ultimately grants them survival thereafter.

Viewers follow intensely to witness exactly how much Fugui must endure and how far he must bend his character simply to live – to live under constant anxiety, fear, and pressure. The tension remains for the rest of the movie, and there is no lasting, dependable source of relief. However, life does not stop for the person, and people must move on with life nonetheless. The arguably sole source of comfort is in the person’s ability to survive and remain resilient. Such is the pain and the inescapable living conditions forced upon people due to the radical political changes.

The challenges in Fugui’s life demonstrate the many different yet common and significant values for people, such as the importance of family, the devastation and repercussions of loss, and the power of love. They draw upon deep emotions in order to build a substantial connection and relationship by making the characters’ lives relatable to the external party. There is a strong sense of empathy from the audience because of the great focus on family unity and individual as well as family survival. In spite of all the tragedies, people can remain strong and endure the hardships thrown at them, for we cannot give in so easily. Humans are adaptable creatures, and in time, we learn to live with the sorrow and pain that mold and shape us into who we are today.

“To Live” truly is a movie that not only touches, but digs deep into the issues of the heart. Its realistic representation of the significant political events and their effects on mere citizens speak volumes about people’s mentality and approach towards life.

“To Live” is a movie for those who want to experience and witness how people deal with the complicated emotions that come with unexpected turmoil that arise in life.

The Calling of "Chocolat"

Chocolat is the perfect movie for the holiday season. It’s warm; it’s joyous; and it’s “sinfully delicious.” Through a “re-vision” of this amazing film, it is as much of a heart-warming movie as it is a feminist movie.



Chocolat features a young, independent mother, Vianne, who enters a small, conservative, and religious French town with her daughter, and she opens a chocolate store during Lent. The town mayor, Comte de Reynaud, is enraged by her actions and even fears her influence, because Vianne threatens to break his traditions. He is a strict man and wishes to rule the town with an iron fist. He has been successful until the presence of Vianne and her chocolate.

Vianne is a foreigner. She travels in a bright red cape in which her daughter also has. She follows to North Wind, and allows it to take her wherever it calls her to. She is not religious, because she does not believe in such restrictive rules. She is not married, and she has a daughter. Vianne stands for everything that the town is not.

This story reminds me of another tale - "The Women Men Don’t See” by Alice B. Sheldon (actual story provided.) Sheldon depicts a woman, Ruth Parson, who is traveling alone with her daughter, and the story tells that they have already been to a couple of places. Parson’s family does not involve men. Ruth’s mother raised her alone, and Ruth raised her daughter alone. Furthermore, Ruth and her daughter leave Earth together; if her daughter is with child, then her daughter will also raise that child alone.

For some unknown reason, all the women in the Parson family remain single, and the men’s only role is to provide the seed for the next generation. It is as if independence runs through the women’s veins. It is in their blood. Vianne comes from a similar culture where the women roam free to travel, to explore, to help, and to fight. Men are not involved. They follow the call of the North Wind.

Another interesting similarity is the influence of “Maya” culture. Ruth and her daughter traveled to many Maya sites and were supposed to be going to another, and her daughter is later involved briefly with the Mayan pilot. If you notice Vianne’s sign, it says “Chocolaterie Maya.” Her chocolates are based on the Mayan recipe.


However, unlike Ruth, Vianne is definitely “memorable.” The sidestories involve how Vianne helps different villagers. Most of them star a female character, rather than male character - an eldery woman with an equally strong spirit, a wife with an unpassionate spouse, a woman trapped with an abusive husband, and more.

Vianne and her chocolates are exotic with the power to "awaken the passion," and that is exactly why she is not to be accepted. The town’s people call her “some kind of a radical.” A child calls her “an atheist.” Although he does not know what that word means, the way he says it implies a strong, negative connotation as if Vianne is associated with the devil.

Needless to say, Vianne infuriates Comte de Reynaud. He calls her a “brazen” woman and fakes sympathy for her “illegitimate child.” He is threatened by her, because she “laughs” at the town’s, namely his, traditions. She wears vivid colors and has a signature red cape while the main colors of the town are grey, black, and white. Chocolate is sensual; not only that, Vianne’s chocolates are exotic. She is the embodiment of life and its sins.

This single woman represents a foreign power that this one man is afraid of. His world is changed, and not in the way that he wants. She is independent and will bow down to no man. He is terrified of her potential, yet he can do nothing to suppress her. He then tries to prevent the town’s people from further succumbing to her influence by calling her “satanic.” She is also immoral, for she associates herself with the gypsies who are boycotted for immorality. She is a black-hole to his universe.

Chocolat is a story of a woman’s mission to bring joy to a village that has long forgotten the meaning of happiness and the true meaning of life. Life is not all about strictly following rules and traditions. Life does not mean for one to be serious and solemn all the time. Life is about letting oneself go and remembering what little things make the heart beat and make the heart melt. Life is knowing how to give and accept kindness and care. Life is about the unrestrained expression of love.

Life is living with passion.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! What are your plans for this holiday? Party? Scary movie? My plans are to do work and then homework! Whoo, just thinking about it gives me chills!

Nothing literature related for this entry~ I tend to stay away from reading scary stories. They tend to create even worse visuals than movies sometimes. I would like to share however, a trailer that I find to be very fitting for Halloween – Alice in Wonderland.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS32b0VLkXk

Has anyone read the book? Truthfully speaking, the Disney version of the story scared me as a child. Seriously, that Cheshire Cat has such an eerie smile, and the Queen is just cruel! But, this new Tim Burton version takes
Alice in Wonderland to a whole new level with Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter – I suppose it’s not too much of a surprise. It’s also in 3D! Doesn't he remind you of The Joker from Batman though, in particular his laugh?

I am actually quite curious as to how Johnny Depp intends to portray this character. A part of me of is scared to watch it, but another part of me cannot resist! I suppose this is why they say that curiosity kills the cat.

Although based on the trailer, I do think that they should release this movie for Halloween instead of in March. I don’t think it’s very fitting for Easter even with the meadow and the bunny.

What's your Halloween flavor? =D Have a Happy Halloween!